Maneater
by Rebellwithoutacause
Summary: Sharks might roam Miami's waters, but they're not always sea creatures. When Eric goes out for a night of toothing, he comes across a female who is far more dangerous than he ever imagined. And when the blood flows, will it be on Eric's hands?
1. Jaded

**_My second chaptered CSI: Miami fic. Nothing to do with the first one, but I'd much appriceate it if you took a look at that one, called Bring Me To Life. There might be mentions of that one in this, but its not neccessary you read that to understand this one. Anyways, hope you enjoy this new fic! And, as always, please review! _**

**_P.S Chapters, for the present, might be a little small, but bare with me, ok? They'll get longer, I promise! Thanks!_**

Dark, seductive music rolled around the walls of the club, bouncing off the tile and focusing to the center of the dance floor. Heaving, pulsating, undulating bodies filled the space, giving off heat and pungent sweat under the hot glow of the colored lights.

Eric Delko was in the throbbing heart of the masses, dancing with whoever got close enough. He'd embrace and touch one female, who after a few pulses of the music, would slip out of his fingers, only to be replaced by another.

He'd just let a blond college girl out of his arms when another girl took her place. Her hair flamed brilliant red in the lighting, and green eyes that held a wild, hungry look stared deep into his.

She approached him, circled, ran her hands against his shoulders and back before she dove down, slipped between his legs and worked her way back up, lacing her arms around his neck when she stood tall again.

He wrapped his arms around her, letting his hands feel her lissome, yet well muscled body. She flexed in the cage of his embrace and leaned her head back, letting a cascading wave of red hair fall behind her. He let his lips reach to her chest before she swung her body back upwards, her hair swinging to fall onto her chest, blocking him.

She started to pull from his embrace again, and he had his intentions on letting her go, but she didn't leave. She merely teased him, keeping his lips from her gleaming body, but not his hands.

This wasn't something Eric was used to. Either a girl gave it all, or didn't come near. Not this half way game. But he was intrigued. Not so much by the way they danced together, but by the look in those piercing green eyes. They were hungry, and yet, had an almost deadly look within them. A warning and an invitation. He'd accept the latter.

They continued to move about the floor together, flexing their bodies together. Eric was beginning to loose awareness of his surroundings; the only thing he was aware of was the muscles of the red head rubbing against his body. He tried once more to lay his lips on hers, but she ducked away from him, slipping behind his back. She ran nails against his skin and hissed into his ear, speaking for the first time.

"Nah ah, not here."

The only thing Eric could think of that described the voice was if a cat could talk, this would be what she sounded like. The voice was smooth, elegant, cunning and mischievous. He could feel his heart throbbing to the beat of the music, and every flex of her luscious form.

"Where then?" he whispered as she pressed herself against his chest, rolling her hips up and forward in flow with the music.

"Follow me," she hissed into his ear, wrapping hands against the back of his neck, snaking fingers into his dark hair.

She slipped out of his arms, trailing a long, narrow finger down his wrist to entice him before weaving her way through the crowded dance floor. Eric gave chase, urged on by the way her body moved as she continued to stay just out of reach of his fingertips.

She led him out of the building and into the warm air of the Miami night. The sky was pitch black, the stars hidden by clouds, but the lights in the sky scraping buildings made up for it. She led him across the parking lot towards a convertible red Mustang, top up at the moment. A soft chirp sounded, and the red head climbed into the back seat of the car, Eric just behind her on the other side.

Soon as the doors were closed and locked, Eric seized her lips in a fiery kiss. She moaned into his mouth, her nails tracing lines of fire across his back. It wasn't long until she pulled at his shirt, easily taking it from him and tossing it down onto the floor boards.

Silky scarlet hair formed a curtain around Eric as he began to undress his partner. Creamy smooth skin had a thin layer of sweat coating most of her body, and it wasn't just from the dancing either. She gave a low groaning sound, pushing her hands into Eric's shoulders, forcing him onto his back on the seat of the car.

He smiled up at her as her eyes locked with his. She leaned down to kiss him again, her hands snaking for his belt. Just as she'd dropped it on the floor, he pulled his mouth away and gasped for a breath, and to speak.

"What's your name?" he asked in a halting pant.

"Jade," she breathed into his ear, before settling herself onto his hips.

Toothing had never been so wild before. She drove him for everything he was worth, and he was more than happy to give it. He liked a fight, a challenge; a demanding partner. That way, when he was spent, he was so tired; he didn't have time to think about it.

He collapsed onto the seat of the Mustang, holding a sweat slicked Jade in his arms, his chest heaving, pressing against her back.

"You give it good," she purred in his ear.

Eric didn't answer. He merely focused on calming his pounding heart. After about five minutes he slowly sat up, wiping the sweat off his face. He reached for his clothes and started to dress. Jade did the same, but she'd occasionally sneak a glance at him, as if she was regretting letting him get away so soon.

When they were both dressed, Eric was turning around to get out of the car when he saw a small flash of light. Confused, he looked closer, and saw a diamond ring was lying in the cup holder in the front console.

"What is this?" he asked, taking the ring in his hand and showing it to Jade.

Her green eyes widened, but only briefly. "Come on, now, its not like we're going to ever see each other again," she purred.

"You tricked me," Eric said coldly.

Jade gave a soft little laugh, one that was laced with cunning mischief. She tossed her red hair behind her shoulders and cocked her head at him. "Don't worry," she whispered, running a slender finger against his cheek. "He'll never find out."

Eric pulled away. He got out of the car, slammed the door, and headed for his own vehicle. His feet pounded hard on the concrete parking lot, anger running through him.

He climbed into the driver's seat and slammed the door. His hands gripped the steering wheel hard before he quieted down. "Easy, Eric," he told himself. "You didn't know. You did nothing wrong."

But it bothered his consciousness. If he had known, he wouldn't have. He'd of told her no and looked for someone else. Cursing himself he put the car into drive and headed home to pass out before work in the morning. This time he'd left his badge at home. Nothing to make a mess this go around.

Nothing except for the fact he'd just toothed a married woman.


	2. Midnight Blood

**_Ok, chapter two up! No reviews...growls but oh well, I didn't expect too many for this one, but I still felt the need to write it. shrugs Anyways, whoever reads it, hope you enjoy. And some comments would be nice! Thanks for reading anyways. _**

After her partner left, Jade remained in her car, thinking about the situation. He'd come for her, she was sure of that. Her husband. Mitchell Riers. He was a possessive husband, always had been. That was why Jade went so far out of her way to defy him. Sleeping around, spending however she pleased, and generally not giving a damn.

Jade was too fond of independence for the marriage world. She married Mitchell for his money. He was one of the big wigs at a local bank in Miami. She'd worked in a very fancy strip club and he'd come in one night. He was fascinated by her. He was a boy in a man's world then. But he grew up fast.

He'd convinced her to date him after practically stalking her via the clubs and streets. She pretended to take his bait, be charmed and flattered by him, but she had one thing, and only one thing in her mind. Financial security. Growing up poor, she swore she'd never have to do the things her parents did to make sure she had food in her mouth. So, she exploited anything and everything she had to make sure she had money.

What Mitchell thought was her taking his bait; he was actually hook line and sinker for hers. Jade thought she had hit the jack pot. The man was set for life, not interested in kids, and basically wanted to spend his days making money and nights partying. But when she refused to quit her job at the strip club, he'd grown angry.

She remembered arguments and fights. Just two nights ago, he'd shattered glass at her feet in his anger.

"I will not have my wife making a whore out of herself! Especially in front of my colleagues!"

He'd taken his buddies out to the club he'd met her in, thinking she wouldn't be there since he'd told her to quit the job. When they saw her up on the bar, dancing, they all had a real laugh and riot at Mitchell. He'd joked and played along, but when they went home together, it turned nasty, fast.

"So, you'd let any other woman do the same thing in front of your friends. What am I Mitch? A trophy wife or something? Well, sorry, I'm not going to be your dolled up Princess."

Mitch had seized a glass on the table and threw it against the wall, forcing her to duck. He was literally shaking with anger. His fists were balled and his shoulders trembled. Jade had no fear of his outburst. Only anger.

"So, you think you'll scare me? You're a lame son of a bitch if I ever met one." She grabbed her purse and walked out the door. Slamming it behind her, she fired up her car that Mitch had bought her and drove off. Ever since, she'd been roaming Miami by night, sleeping in the Mustang, partying, and taking whatever money out of her bank account she wanted.

By day, she'd stalk Miami's beaches, luring in young men, college even sometimes, and rip them off for whatever she could get. It wasn't for money. It was for fun. The boys usually didn't even know something had been missing. She only took small stuff, a few dollars here and there, sometimes more. She'd stolen a watch yesterday, but left it on a beach towel. She had no use for it.

At 26 years of age, Jade had a street education and drive that you don't usually find in Miami. She'd been raised in the streets of many cities, her parents constantly being evicted and forced to relocate. Her alcoholic father sapped any money her family ever brought in, and her mother had two other kids to support as well. Jade snorted at the thought of her younger brother and sister. They were leeches with no will or ambition; they just wanted to be taken care of all their lives. Before her father had turned to booze, he'd been a driven man, trying, trying, trying, to succeed. She'd inherited that streak of survival at all and any cost.

Jade thought about the man she'd been with tonight. She didn't even know his name. But he was clean shaven, dressed respectably, and had some sense of moral fiber. She grinned at the thought of him. How distressed he'd been when he'd seen her ring.

"Baby, you shouldn't be worried," she whispered, fingering the wedding band.

That was when a shadow filled the car, blocking out the streetlight. Jade gasped, dropped the ring, and looked to the window. Cold blue eyes gazed out at her. Mitch.

He unlocked the Mustang door and jerked her out. She yelped and slammed her hand against him. He gripped her upper arm with vise like force and pushed her back up against the car.

"Sleeping around on me now?" he snarled.

"What do you think?" she asked, not giving herself away, but he probably would in his next statement.

"I saw that man get out of your car. He looked pissed, so what did you tell him, you're married?"

Jade's green eyes darkened. "No," she hissed. "He saw the ring."

Mitch's eyes briefly darted to the ring lying in the cup holder of the car still. The moment's diversion was enough for Jade. She grabbed Mitch's shoulders and thrust her knee up into his groin. Mitch groaned heavily and collapsed against the car, releasing Jade.

The redhead gave a snort of satisfaction and took off into the night.

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Coming home to the dark empty house wasn't exactly the idea of thrilling for Eric. He knew he was lonely, but he had to be at work in four hours, might as well try and get a little bit of sleep.

He couldn't get the thought of what he'd done out of his head. If that caused bad blood between spouses, would it be his fault?

"She used me," Eric said, trying to convince himself. "If I had known, I wouldn't of."

But his conscious was still nagging at him. If he hadn't of been there in the first place, there wouldn't have been an opportunity. He tried to come up with decent reasons why he'd gone toothing tonight, and none were anything more than weak attempts to justify himself to his own conscious. When you sunk that low, there was something wrong.

"Just as long as H and the team don't find out," he muttered as he sunk into the pillows of his bed.

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Eyes with staining hues of vengeance and malice glinted in the darkness. They narrowed, searching for the target.

Not where he'd had been before. They hated that fact. Now they'd have to find him. Ah, but the car was…. they purred with delight. He wouldn't have been able to go far.

A cruel smile twisted its way to their lips. It was too easy. It almost seemed wrong, doing this. Almost. But they weren't going to be taken advantage of, or controlled. Never. And no one would find out. There were no witnesses at four AM in the morning.

They touched the weapon at their side. Satisfied, they continued forward, not slinking anymore. Their feet were sore and stiff, but they had a lot more walking to do before the night was over. They knew they couldn't take the car. If they did, it'd be trace that they'd been there when he was dead. That couldn't happen. They had a plan to get rid of the weapon. The body they'd leave. They knew without a body, they didn't have a case, but, there wasn't anywhere decent they could hide it without worrying if it'd be traced back to them. Concrete didn't hold much as far as a trail, but the interior of a car did.

They approached quietly. He didn't see them yet. Not yet. That was good. They needed to stay hidden as long as possible.

He was leaning against the car, shoulders hunched, hands gripping the top. His knuckles were white in anger, they could tell. They smiled. If they only knew. Foolish, foolish boy. He was a fool to think he could play with them.

They kept going, no sound echoing off the parking lot. When they were ten feet away, they withdrew the weapon. He hadn't seen them yet in the reflection of the window because they stood directly behind him, out of the way of the windows, and the mirrors. Blind spot.

They breathed deeply as quietly as they could. Once the weapon was prepared they had to do it fast. No time for second guessing. The man had to die before he knew who'd shot him.

They drew the weapon and readied it. The soft clicking caused the man's head to go up. Aim was taken. One, two, three, four. Four times, he'd been struck in the back. They stepped back as the man began to fall. Blood was pouring onto the ground, unleashing a god awful smell. They darted out of the way to avoid it.

They might have stayed to revel in their accomplishment, but now wasn't the time. They darted away to the chosen spot to dump the weapon, about fifty feet away. They heaved and shoved and pushed until they pried open the man hole covering that blocked things from falling into the sewer. Dropping the weapon inside, they shoved the covering back into place. The surface was rough and not good for prints, but there was no reason not to be cautious. They wiped it down with the hem of their shirt and then stood back up again.

They took one last look over their shoulder. The man was still laying deathly still, blood still pooling around him. They nodded in satisfaction and headed up the road, moving quickly and staying to the shadows.

They smiled to themselves. The deed was done. And no one would ever find out. No one.


	3. What Now?

**_Ok, chappie three. Thank you, to the one person who reviewed cough Others who read ought to do the same! But enough about that. Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it! Sorry if they seem shorter than some of my others. Short chapters, faster updates. _**

Eric groaned as he rolled out of bed and searched the pager that was consistently blinking and buzzing. Annoyed and frustrated, he glanced at the number. Horatio.

"Not another call out," he muttered as he stumbled to the bathroom and threw a splash of cold water into his face to wake himself up.

For a split second, he half way thought about not answering. But almost instantly, he waved it away. He'd rather handle any case than let the rookie Wolfe do it. He didn't care he'd been mentored and trained by Calleigh. In Eric's opinion, Wolfe wasn't responsible enough to handle CSI work.

Eric knew he had a somewhat biased opinion about the new CSI because he was Speed's replacement, but that didn't change the way he felt about his work. Erica Sikes proved that wasn't madness.

Pushing it out of his mind, Eric dressed, collected his gear and dialed Horatio up to get a location on the crime scene.

"Who all else did you call out?" he asked as Horatio finished giving him the location.

"Mr. Wolfe. No problem I hope?"

Eric clenched his teeth and inwardly groaned. Too late.

"No, its fine," he said as he gripped the steering wheel.

"Good. See you soon, Eric."

They both hung up and Eric focused on getting to the crime scene. But when he arrived and pulled the Hummer over into the parking lot, his heart leapt up into his throat. This was the building he'd been toothing at last night.

"Coincidence, Eric," he told himself as he slowly climbed out of the car.

But the shiny red Mustang was no coincidence. His heart began to hammer against his jugular vein. Cursing himself he reluctantly made his way towards Horatio who was standing near Alexx as she looked over the victim.

"Eric, glad you're here," Horatio said.

"Wish I could say the same." Eric said quietly. His eyes were heavy, but he couldn't escape his boss' piercing stare.

"What's going on, Eric?"

"I don't know if I'll be able to help you in this one, H."

"Why not?" Horatio's voice was concerned.

Shame burned every inch of Eric's body. Every word that he forced out of his mouth was like tightening a noose on his neck. If this cost him his job… he couldn't let his mind think of the consequences.

"I was here last night," he said in a hushed voice.

"What do you mean, here?"

"In the car. With a girl."

Horatio's eyes flashed. Not in anger, but in some emotion Eric couldn't read. He wasn't surprised. He knew Horatio well, but not well enough to know his reaction to this.

"You were at it again, weren't you? Toothing?"

Eric bit his tongue so hard he almost made it bleed, but stopped short to answer Horatio. He owed him that at least. But the penetrating stare his boss gave him was almost too much.

"Yes."

Horatio gave a small nod and turned his eyes away from Eric. Fear pounded in the Cuban's veins. If Horatio dismissed him, what the hell would he do? Being a CSI was everything to him. He cursed himself for his selfishness and stupidity.

"I know you're upset with Speed's death, and his replacement, but you have to get yourself under control, Eric." Horatio spoke softly, but with so much seriousness, and just a shade of regret, it made Eric hang his head. He didn't bother denying it to Horatio, though he had all the other times to everybody else. Horatio always knew. Those eyes wouldn't let you hide anything.

"Well, you're a witness now, so, tell me, Eric, do you know anything about the victim?"

Eric took a look at the dead man. He was middle aged, strong build, dark hair and when he got a glimpse at his face, with blue gray eyes.

"I might know who he is," Eric said quietly. Alexx looked him steadily in the eyes.

"The girl I was with owned the car. If he's connected to the car, he may be connected to her."

"I don't suppose you got a name?"

"Just a first. Said her name was Jade."

"Ok, well, go back to the lab, run the license plate number. Let's see if Jade really does own the car, and know who our vic is."

"I'm on it."

Eric quickly jotted down the license plate and headed back to the Hummer. On the way, he almost ran into Wolfe.

"Where you going in such a hurry?"

Ryan's eyes were the most hateful thing Eric could have looked at in that particular moment in time. He knew it was biased, but he again didn't care. He didn't even answer as he pushed past Ryan and walked away.

Ryan cocked his eyebrows at the retreating back of the Cuban and approached Horatio.

"Ok, so, I'm guessing Delko isn't on this case?"

"No, you and Calleigh are, I just finished calling her."

"So what's he going here then?"

"Don't worry about it Ryan. If you would be so kind, help Alexx with the body would you?" Horatio tilted his head and Alexx gave him the look that said 'just do what he says.'

Ryan knelt down and in the close proximity between himself and Alexx he asked, "What had Delko so upset?"

"Eric has some personal issues he needs to get worked out, before someone works them out for him."

"Like Horatio?"

"I think Horatio is probably the least of Eric's problems if you ask me. But don't mention it to anybody. The less tension the better."

"Yeah, tell that to him," he muttered quietly. But he wish he hadn't, because the look Alexx gave him was as piercing as Horatio's. But she didn't say anything. Somehow, Ryan would have liked it better if she had.

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All the way to the lab, Eric cursed himself. How could he have been such an idiot? His muscles clenched as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He longed to punch something, anything, but he forced himself to breathe deeply many times. It stilled the will to hit something, but not the anger.

He knew he was a fool to be rude to Ryan like that. Ryan was in good stead with Horatio right now. And he wasn't. And he didn't know if he could bare to face Calleigh about this. She had been the first to chide him about his toothing; when he had lost his badge. He thought he'd escaped harm this time around. How wrong he had been.

He walked into the lab, paper and pen in his hand. He slowly made his way through the building, looking for the familiar foxy figure and sunny blond hair that was Calleigh. Upon not seeing her, he decided she was probably out at the crime scene.

He found himself at the computer and quickly type din the license plate. But the car wasn't registered to the female he'd met last night. It was registered to the dead man in the parking lot.

He scrolled through the information. Name Mitchell Riers. Age thirty four, first manager at a local bank. Interesting. Eric kept going. Address was a location Eric knew, a very fancy neighborhood on the shores of the ocean. The information also listed he was married. But Eric couldn't access the file about his wife.

He flipped open his cell phone and dialed Horatio.

"H. Got the information on the car. Registered to our vic."

"Ok, did you get anything else?"

"Yeah, an address and a wife, but no information given on her." He paused for a moment. "Want me to go to the address?"

"Leave that to me and Ryan."

Eric clenched his teeth. "Alright. Anything else for me to do?"

"Yeah, lay low, Eric."

The line clicked off and Eric roughly thrust the phone into his pocket. Frustrated beyond what he knew how to handle, he headed out of the lab. Horatio hadn't given him orders, nothing except for basically 'don't screw anything else up.'

"What now?"

If he beat Ryan and Horatio to the address, would it benefit him? He bit his lip as the conflict welled up inside his head, and his heart. Would he be violating protocol?

He climbed assuredly into the car. He knew he'd beat Ryan and Horatio to the address. And when he did he'd take a nose around. He knew Horatio would keep him in the dark if he didn't find things out for himself. That was one thing the redhead did that irritated him. He never told anybody anything unless they knew too much. And Eric needed to know how much trouble he might be in.

Firing up the engine, he gunned it out of the parking lot and headed up the road, not exactly doing the speed limit. But, the way he saw it, a traffic ticket was going to be the least of his problems.


	4. To Close for Comfort

**_Ok, chapter four is up. Little bit longer than my last ones, hopefully all who read will enjoy! THANK YOU to those who reviewed, and to those who didn't growls Just kidding! _**

The smell of salt and sand reached Eric's nose before he even saw the ocean. He stepped out of his Hummer and was hit in the face with the tussling breeze from the shore.

This new development complex was one of the ritziest in Miami. Less than ten minutes from the white sand beaches. And all the houses had ocean views. All of them were at least two stories, some three. Eric checked the address again. The one he'd pulled up at was two stories. But, it had the best lot that he could see.

White concrete was lined with emerald green grass on both sides that made the front lawn. Two car garages were closed, and the front porch was well shaded. His instinct was to knock on the front door, but he wasn't here for that. He wanted undercover information. If anybody was home, than he needed to be unseen.

He stole around to the back, surprised that he didn't see security cameras. This was high end real estate here, why not secure it more? He found out how as he rounded the corner of the house.

Two massive German Shepards lay on the back porch, heads on their paws watching everything. As soon as they saw him, they leapt up to their feet and bared their hackles, snarling menacingly.

Eric checked to make sure he had his gun… loaded. He didn't want to know what those teeth would do. He was about to make a hasty retreat when someone called out.

"Down boys, down!"

It was female, and he knew instantly the voice. Jade!

She came out from the house and onto the wooden porch. At her command, the dogs sat down and she scratched each of them behind the ears. Two snaps of her fingers and they went around the front of the house.

"Well, well, what can I do for you?" Her tone was a smirking mischievous simper.

"My name is Eric Delko, Jade Riers," he said coldly. "And you might start by telling me why we found a body beside your car this morning."

It was split second descion that he made to confess why he was here. He couldn't get any information without it.

"Ah, Eric, well, I'm assuming you found my husband. That's what your boss, Lt. Horatio told me."

Eric's eyes widened. Horatio had already been on the phone with her? That meant he didn't have a lot of time before he had to get out of here. He needed to be well away from the house before Horatio and Ryan got here. It had taken him twenty minutes, but he'd been speeding. Giving up trying to calculate, he cut to the chase.

"Yes, as a matter of fact we did. Mind telling me anybody who'd want your husband dead? You, for instance," he added.

"Me?" Jade smirked. "No, I wouldn't want him dead. Think about it, Delko. He's my bank account. I can't get hired on my own. As much as it disgusts me, I needed him to keep the lifestyle I have."

She leaned against the porch railing, and Eric caught a glimpse of the smooth skin of her abdomen. He tried to block the memories of last night and continued with his questioning.

"Well, would anybody else wish your husband harm?"

"He's manager of a bank, Eric," she said with a belittling laugh that said he should have known that. "Who wouldn't want him dead? He's not the tax man, or the IRS, but when loans get called in, guess who dials?"

Eric processed that information slowly. Filing it away, he met Jade's eyes.

"Where were you, around five AM this morning?"

"You mean after I got done with you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes coldly. "Stop formalizing this, Eric," she purred, her gaze suddenly changing.

She crept off the porch and approached him. Her hips swayed, and her brilliant hair flashed in the Miami sunlight. Eric's heart raced.

"Mitch came looking for me. He found me in the car less then five minutes after you left. He pulled me out and asked what I'd been doing. I knew he'd been spying on me because he asked about you. He tried to make me answer to him, but I got away. I ran without taking the car. I checked myself into a hotel, figuring the first place Mitch would go would be home, and I didn't want to be there when he did. I stayed at the hotel all night. It was about seven o clock when I checked out and headed home. When I opened the door, Mitch wasn't here."

"And you didn't think it weird or strange when he didn't come back?"

"As long as he was away from me I didn't care." Jade rolled her eyes. "Mitch served his purpose for me. I needed him, and I got what I needed. Whatever he wanted to do was his business. Just as long as he didn't try and control me."

"And did he?"

"Oh yes," Jade's eyes gleamed brightly and she came even closer.

"Not like you, though," she purred, reaching a hand to him. He shied away, but she wrapped his shirt in her fists and pulled him close. "You let me be myself," she hissed in his ear, giving a bite as she did so.

"Get off me!" Eric snapped, roughly pushing her away.

"Awe, come on, now, you know you want it," Jade came at him again, but Eric side stepped her and spun around.

"What happened last night has nothing to do with what is happening now, Jade." Eric growled. "I'll be in touch."

Eric stormed away, climbed into the Hummer after he warily passed the dogs on the porch, and drove off.

Jade smiled as she watched him leave. She looked down to her hand and saw the metallic glint of Eric's cell phone.

"Yes, yes I'm sure you will," she purred, slipping inside the house.

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Horatio's eyes were hidden by sunglasses as he slowly climbed out of the car with Ryan. He'd been using his shades more often lately. Ever since Speed's death; the recurrent nightmare was always fresh in his mind.

Speed's death, coupled with Charlie's run away flight didn't make things easy. Despite the letter she'd left him, he worried for her constantly Many times, he was ready to pick the phone up and call for a search to find her a bring her back. But he would ball his hands into fists and resist the temptation until it became swept up into the whirlwind that was his life. Case after case, victim after victim. He had to move on.

"What do you make of the address, Mr. Wolfe?" he asked his companion.

"Ritzy, high end, and yet…" he stopped when he heard dogs growling. The German Shepards were on their feet, lips drawn back and ears pinned down, forming menacing snarls in their throats.

"I'm assuming you were going to say and yet little security?" Horatio asked loosening his gun in his holster.

"I was, but I'll rethink that," Ryan muttered. "Where's the house's owner?"

"Apparently in a parking lot," came a cold voice.

Horatio spun around and took in the sight of a slinky, flesh revealing female. Her top was much like a bikini top, revealing all of her well muscled stomach, but wrapped against her hips was a long flowing skirt, with a slit in the side up her thigh. Her hair caught the sun and flashed flaming red, catching Ryan's eyes. He roved his gaze down her briefly before remembering himself.

"I take it you are the late Mrs. Riers?" Horatio said, taking off his sunglasses off and meeting the red head's emerald gaze.

"I am," she said, leaning on the railing of the porch, stroking the dogs to quiet them down.

"You don't look too grieved to hear the news of your husband's death," Ryan said, raising his eyebrows.

Jade gave a small chuckle. She saw the boy's eyes roving over her. He'd be as easy to snare as Eric if she chose to, but with the Lieutenant standing there, she'd be a bigger fool than her husband.

"My husband had many enemies. Being the manager of a bank, it didn't exactly make him popular."

"Who was he unpopular with, Ma'am?" Horatio asked quietly. His eyes were taking in the property, looking for anything unusual or out of place, but saw nothing amiss.

"Ask anybody whom he collected loans on. Or anybody who had their collateral taken. He wasn't exactly friendly with them either. Only the ones who had enough money or power to influence his own job did he respect."

Ryan's eyes caught a gleaming shine and he saw a small bracelet on Jade's wrists.

"Are those real diamonds?" he asked, coming closer.

Jade smiled and held out her hand so Ryan could examine it. "Real diamonds, real jade stones."

"Expensive tastes," Horatio noted.

"My husband bought it for me. An anniversary present from a year ago."

Ryan examined the bracelet more closely. The stones were lined up, one alternating to the other. The cut was equiset and finely done. Yet the stones themselves seemed of poor quality. The diamonds were cloudy inside. What had made the flash were actually the crystal backings and sides that the jewels were set into.

"Where was it your husband bought this?" Ryan asked, looking up at Jade.

"Corman Jewelers." She glanced at Horatio, and then Ryan. "Why?"

"How much did you pay for this?"

"Quite a pretty penny. Five thousand." Jade said firmly.

"Seems awful shoddy work to pay five grand for," Ryan murmured. "Do you mind if I have this?" he asked, indicating to the bracelet.

"No."

Ryan reached a hand out to take the bracelet. The clasp came undone easily, and he slid it off Jade's wrist. Jade's emerald eyes nearly glowed as his fingers briefly touched her skin. Ryan failed to notice, but Horatio didn't.

As Ryan walked away to bag the bracelet in the Hummer, Horatio approached Jade. "What was your relationship with your husband like, Mrs. Riers?" he asked.

Jade gave a soft, rueful laugh.

"Mitch was a control freak. Not in the OCD manner, but he couldn't have anybody making him look like a fool or the object of a joke. He tried to control me, and I went out of my way to annoy him because of it."

"Yes, I did a little digging, and found you've lacked fidelity in your relationship. Poor way to repay your husband for what he's given you." Blue eyes wandered to the house and the view of the sea behind them.

"As I said, Lieutenant. I will not be controlled. Not by anyone or anything."

"The law is a leash for all of us, Mrs. Riers." He eyed the dogs briefly. "We'll be back if we need anything else."

Horatio left her standing there and walked back to the Hummer.

"What do you make of Mrs. Riers?" Horatio asked Ryan.

"Certainly doesn't seem like the grieving widow, does she?"

"No, and its our job to find out why." Horatio finished his sentence, and slipped on his shades.


	5. Stetler Alert

**_Chapter Number Five Up! More reviews would be appricated, but I'll just have to take what I can get. After all, its for the pleasure of writing rather than the reviews for which we type, right? If that made any sense... lol. Anyways, hope you enjoy, whoever reads it. _**

With his questioning yielding nothing that Eric counted useful, he was headed back to the lab. What more could he do? Maybe he could work on something there and keep his mind busy until the rest of the team figured this out, as he wasn't allowed to work on it specifically.

"Didn't stop you," he muttered to himself. He wished, just once, he could have gone through a day, or night, without screwing things up. He was impulsive, he knew it, and its what got him into so much trouble at times.

He pulled into the parking lot and climbed out of the Hummer. Sighing he headed into the lab but hadn't gotten fifteen feet into the building when he was spotted by Calleigh.

'Oh great,' he thought, turning to her as she called his name.

"Ryan filled me in on what happened," Calleigh said quietly as her blue eyes met his dark ones.

"Oh did he?" Eric's throat tightened. Any information relayed through Ryan was sure to make him look worse, not better.

"Yes, he called me because apparently you're not answering your phone." Calleigh folded her arms over her chest.

Eric's eyes went wide. He began to search his person for his phone, which he always kept in his pocket. Gone. Not there. He knew it wasn't in the Hummer, and not at home.

"Damnit!" he cursed, not caring Calleigh was there. "She took it."

"Who took it? Jade?"

"Yes," Eric muttered.

"When, last night?"

"No, I answered the call out didn't I?" he snapped, beginning to turn in circles. "She must have ripped it off me this morning."

"You saw her?" Calleigh demanded. But seeing her friend so distraught, she grabbed his shoulders and forced him to stop.

"Eric! Calm down," Calleigh tried to soothe. "Relax. Tell me what happened?"

"Will you go run to Ryan? Or Horatio?" His tone was cold, but he wasn't really angry with her. Just with his own stupidity.

"If I need to tell someone, it'd be Horatio, and you know that. I know you and Ryan don't get along, but you know Horatio. He'll help you in any way he can. You know that. So, come on, Eric, what happened?"

"I went to the address before Ryan and H got there. I wanted to see how much trouble I might have gotten myself into by being with her in the car before the guy was killed. She must have taken my phone in the process."

"You let her get that close?" The Southern belle sounded shocked.

"I didn't mean to! I tried to avoid her, believe me. She came at me once, and I pushed her off, she tried again and I side stepped her. I guess I just didn't push her off me fast enough."

"Sounds like she's repaying you for what you did last night," Calleigh said quietly.

"What in the hell is that supposed to mean?" Eric asked, raising his voice.

"You're forceful, Eric. You don't realize it sometimes, but you are. Maybe she felt like she had to give in."

"Oh no, don't you twist this into something it isn't! I didn't force that girl to do anything with me last night! You know I would never in my wildest dreams do that! She came onto me and she agreed to anything that happened."

Calleigh was about to open her mouth when she caught a figure in the corner of her eye.

"Get out of here," she hissed at Eric. "Stetler alert. Go on, get out of here, I'll deal with him."

Despite his previous anger, Eric nodded his thanks. He turned and nearly bolted for the exit of the lab. The last thing he needed was Stetler on his hands. The last time this had happened, his job was on the line, only because of what he and the team had been able to do to repair the situation had it been spared. But Stetler had warned Horatio he couldn't protect his team forever.

Eric made it to his Hummer and climbed inside. He sat in the driver's seat and leaned his head back, trying to clear his head. He needed time to think. Time to work out what had happened and try to untie all the knots he'd been tying since last night.

"First thing's first, I need to get my phone back."

But how did he do that? He didn't want to go any closer to Jade than he had to, but he had no means of contacting her except face to face. He couldn't call her from the lab, because he was supposed to be as low profile on this case as possible, and he didn't want to drag anybody else into this by using their phone. His mind worked so fast, his head began to hurt.

"Just go back to the house, demand the phone, and leave. Don't let her touch you," he hissed.

He fired up the engine and headed out of the parking lot for what seemed to be the thousandth time today. Would this day ever end? Would he ever wake up from this nightmare?

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Ryan and Horatio carefully walked into the jewelry store. Horatio especially. This is exactly the type of setting in which Speed had been killed. His heart pumped hard against his chest as the memories of his fallen friend rushed back to meet him. Would it be him with a bullet? Or Ryan? Or was his mind playing games with him and there was no danger? All these thoughts blazed across the surface of his mind just as he passed over the threshold of the building.

The store was quiet and Ryan felt that was strange. He saw no one behind the counter, so he casually walked over to inspect it. The stones beneath the glass gleamed brightly, far better quality than what he had seen on Jade's bracelet.

"Interesting," Ryan murmured as he inspected the jewels.

"Can I help you with something?"

Ryan looked up quickly. A young man had just come out from the back room, no older than Ryan. In fact he looked more like a college age kid. Sandy blond hair, blue eyes, and tan skin.

"We're with Miami Dade PD. Can I assume you are Mr. Corman?"

"No. I'm Jason Shod. I work here for Mr. Corman, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact you can. Can you tell me if anybody sold this bracelet," Horatio passed a picture of it across the table, "to a Mr. Riers?"

Jason studied the picture carefully. "Yeah, Mr. Riers bought that pretty close to a year ago. Mr. Corman made the sale himself, but I was there when he did."

"Is it true that Mr. Riers paid five grand?" Ryan asked quietly.

"Yes. I saw him right the check."

"Did Mr. Riers ever question Mr. Corman's price, or the quality of the stones?" Horatio's question was lightly put, but there was a sharp glint in his eyes.

Jason took a minute to find his words. Ryan guessed he was thinking carefully about what he was going to say.

"Yeah, about two weeks after he'd bought the bracelet he came back in a right livid temper. He said he'd been at a party, and someone had mentioned that the jewels in the bracelet weren't nearly worth the value of five grand. He came back to confront Mr. Corman."

"So, you could say that Mr. Riers and Mr. Corman were not on the best of terms?"

"No, they weren't. Mr. Riers claimed Corman had cheated him out of his money. I was in the back working, but you could hear them shouting at each other. Mr. Riers made some nasty threats and accusations towards Mr. Corman."

"Death threats?" Ryan pressed.

Jason nodded slowly. "Look, don't let Mr. Corman know I told you this. I'd bet a year's worth of overtime he'd fire me if he knew."

"Its alright," Horatio soothed. "But would you say that Mr. Corman is an aggressive man?"

"For sure. I know he has some history of assaults in bars and stuff. The littlest thing can set him off. I don't really like working for him, but it's a pretty good paying job."

Ryan nodded. "Has Mr. Corman ever followed through on his threats?"

"I don't know, and I really wouldn't want to know. If he has, then he's a very dangerous man."

Horatio nodded and flashed a look to Ryan. It said, 'ok were done here.'

"Take care, Jason. If we need anything else, we'll be in touch." Ryan turned to head out of the store, Horatio on his heels. But as the red head turned for a look back, he easily registered the grimace on Jason's face. He'd seen that look before. Someone being intimidated.

"So, what do we have now? A dead Mr. Riers, who had altercations with Mr. Corman, who we now know is aggressive. Think Mr. Riers made threats, and Mr. Corman got him before Riers could follow through?"

"Maybe," Horatio said quietly. "But we need to find the murder weapon. Find that, and we're five steps closer to finding who did this."

"What about Jade? Do you think she had anything to do with this?"

"More than what she says, but we don't have anything that says its her. Yet," Horatio whispered.

"So, you do think that she's involved," Ryan pressed, trying to work through Horatio's vague statements.

Horatio didn't answer. He didn't like being pressed, and in his usual tendency, he stayed silent as they climbed into the Hummer and headed back to the lab.

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"Ah, Calleigh Duquesne! Do you know where Delko is off to? I needed to speak with him. Word reached my ears he has involvement in your latest case."

Rick Stetler's voice was like an ice pick on a chalk board in Calleigh's ears. She bit her tongue and forced herself to reply calmly and normally.

"No, I don't really. Whatever he's doing, I'm sure its important, but I'll be glad to help you out."

"Very well, step into my office, will you?" Stetler said, motioning to the interrogation room.

Calleigh followed him and took her seat behind the table. Rick remained standing. While someone else may have felt intimidated, she didn't. She knew the likes of Stetler, and she knew she could handle him. All she had to do was walk out if things got bad.

"Do you know how Delko is involved in this case? If it pertains to him being involved in the shooting, I believe I have the right to know, Ms. Duquesne."

"Its not my place to say what Eric was involved with or not. But I'm sure he had nothing to do with the shooting. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time doesn't make him a criminal."

"So, you do imply that he was there when the shooting took place?"

Calleigh's eyes flamed. Rick was putting words in her mouth, and already she was beginning to have more than enough of him.

"No, I do not," she growled. "He's informed Horatio of everything that he knew. Besides, when is it your business to pry into people's personal lives, Rick? What Eric chooses to do on his down time is his perrogative. Eric has given full cooperation with the investigation."

"Its my business when it threatens the appearance of the lab. One of our own CSI's involved with a murder? That doesn't look good now does it, Calleigh?" Rick leaned down onto the table, getting his face a little to close for comfort for Calleigh.

"Rick, step away from her."

Horatio's cold voice was a breath of relief for Calleigh. She wasn't afraid of what Stetler would do to her. She was afraid of what she'd do to him if he didn't back off.

Rick turned and faced the Lieutenant. His eyes weren't hidden by shades, and all that could be registered within their depths was smoldering anger.

"Protective are we?" Rick sneered. "This is the second time your working to get Delko out of trouble, Horatio. Are you sure there is nothing going on more than what should be?"

A light flashed deep within Horatio's gaze, and Calleigh felt a chill run through her. Rick was walking on deadly ground, and you could feel the tension of it within a mile radius.

"I'm not working to get Eric out of trouble, Rick. I'm working to prove what did or didn't happen in that parking lot. And you're impeding that by holding up my CSI. So, I would suggest you leave them alone so we can accomplish what the county pays us to do in the fastest amount of time."

"You avoid me, Horatio. Is there more between you and Eric than what there should be? You've worked awful hard to keep his record clean in the past, even when his badge was involved in a murder. What happened to zero tolerance?"

"Rick," Horatio growled. "Eric is a good man, and a good CSI. I respect him, as do the rest of the team. There is no truth to what you're implying. Now, if you would be so kind, get out of here and let me and my team work in peace." The direct order wasn't to be questioned, and Calleigh was surprised that Horatio had spoken like that in front of her. She knew Horatio and Stetler had many altercations, but the most aggressive had always been in private.

"You won't be able to protect him if what I suspect is true, Horatio!" Rick snarled as he walked out of the office.

Calleigh stood up as Stetler cleared the room and headed for the elevator. She met Horatio's eyes steadily, thankful that they'd softened.

"Stetler went to far, H. Don't worry about him," Calleigh tried to soothe. When Horatio didn't answer, her face grew worried. "Do you think Eric is involved in this?"

"I don't know yet. What my head tells me and what the evidence tells me are different."

"Does the evidence say Eric had something to do with this?"

"I don't know yet," Horatio murmured quietly.


	6. Shaky Suspect

**_Sorry this chapter took so long, guys. Life got really busy with school and the muse nearly died on this. Special thanks to Addie who gave me a review per chapter and breathed life into this story once more. And THANK YOU to all the others who have reviewed, who I hope to hear more from. Anyways, on with the show..._**

When Eric pulled up to the house, Jade was waiting for him. He climbed out and was headed across the lawn when she smirked playfully at him and darted around back.

Eric cursed himself. This nightmare wasn't going to end because he had to keep coming back to her. How in the hell had he been so stupid last night? Had he been drunk? He knew that wasn't true, but still was wishing it had been.

He pursued Jade to the back of the building but she wasn't there. He rounded the corner, stood still and put his hands on his hips wondering where she'd gone. He found out in less then five seconds.

By the time he felt her sneak up on him, it was too late. She had his gun in her hands. He spun around and tried to grab it, but she danced out of his reach.

"Ah, ah, Eric," she purred in a teasing voice. She threw the gun as far as she could and it landed somewhere in the bushes that lined the short cut emerald lawn.

"Jade, stop playing these games!" he growled at her as she advanced on him. "Just give me what I want and then leave me alone!"

"You mean this?" her tone was wicked. With a surge, she seized his shirt and with her forward moment was able to shove him to the ground. Her thighs squeezed his hips hard as she leaned over him and seized his lips in a kiss.

For a brief span of time, sensations Eric couldn't control took over his muscles. His arms encircled her, his mouth reached for her, his hands ran through her flaming red hair, but then he remembered himself. He shoved her away and tried to wriggle out from underneath her, but she wouldn't let him go.

"Jade, get off me!" Eric cried, struggling to get her to let go. His arms bent inwards and he tried to push them up to get her off his chest, but to no avail. She had him pinned down, her weight keeping him there.

"Let me go!" he snarled, anger thickening his tone. He hadn't wanted to do this. He grabbed her shoulders and gave her body a slight twist and a hard shove. She was sent spinning off him and onto the green lawn where she leapt up to her feet just as he did.

"Scared of me, are you?" she asked, her voice heaving, but her eyes glittering with wild, untamed passion.

"No. Severely pissed off and angry, yeah, I'll go there," he spat. He wiped his mouth on the back of his wrist and glared at her.

"Give me my damn phone," he growled.

Her eyes flashed. "Work for it," she purred tossing her mane of hair.

"Jade, what the hell do you want from me?" he asked, throwing his hands up and glaring at her. "I'm out of ideas. You're ruining my life at this point in time. My job as a CSI is on the line, and if they think I had involvement in your husband's death, I could be arrested!"

"Awe, too bad, Eric, you should have thought about that before you decided to screw around with people you don't know. The sayings 'don't talk to strangers' holds true, even after you're not a kid anymore." Her tone was cold.

"What the hell do you have against me, Jade?" he asked, lowering his voice. "What did I ever do to you?"

Jade's eyes were hard as her name. She didn't answer, but walked up onto the back porch, went inside the house for a moment, and brought his phone back out. She held it in her hands, letting the sunlight gleam off it brightly.

"It's not what you did _to_ me," she purred softly. "It's what you do _for _me."

She tossed him the phone, which he gratefully slipped back into his pocket. Jade watched him with piercing eyes as he searched in the shrubs where she'd thrown his gun, and when he found it, he holstered it, but loosely.

"I'll see you around, Eric," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear as he walked away.

"No, no you won't," he snarled to himself as he drove off.

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Ryan and Horatio stood in the parking lot where Mitch had been killed. The body was long gone by now, but the pool of blood remained. And the heat from the Miami sun made it give off a very sickly smell. Ryan had to wrench his gag under control.

"Remember, Mr. Wolfe, we're here looking for the murder weapon," Horatio said quietly.

"Right," Ryan replied shortly.

They both fanned out over the parking lot, looking for any signs of the gun that had shot and killed Mr. Riers. Any spent casings to see if the killer had fired from close or long range, seeing as Alexx wasn't done with the post yet.

A fifteen minute canvass turned up nothing, and both CSI's met up near the blood pool.

"No gun," Ryan commented as he wiped sweat from his face. "Do you think the killer still has it on them?"

"It's possible, but then again, we're dealing with someone who very much didn't want to be attached to this crime. Shot Mr. Riers from the back, and didn't even take the car, leaving no trace evidence for us."

"What about the club?" Ryan asked, tilting his head towards the building. "Think it might have been a killing of opportunity?"

"Again, a possibility, we found no wallet or valuables on him, but it also didn't look like they'd been taken. The pockets weren't inverted, and there were no signs of a struggle."

Ryan frowned and took a glance up at the sun. When he lowered his gaze, Horatio spoke again.

"Find Eric, get him to talk to the club manager, or anybody who would know who was there last night. That's our best option with no weapon, and no trace."

Ryan nodded and picked up his phone to dial. He remembered Eric's cold eyes towards him when they'd met earlier at the crime scene. Ignoring his feelings, he waited for Eric to pick up while Horatio headed back for the Hummer.

"Delko."

"Hey, Eric. Search of the parking lot turned up no gun, but Horatio wants you to find the manager of the club you were at, or anybody who would know who'd been there last night."

The silence over the phone didn't reassure Ryan. "Eric?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm on it," was the snappish reply before a soft click, and Eric hung up.

Ryan closed his phone and headed back towards the Hummer. He found Horatio waiting for him, and the expectant gaze plainly asked what had transpired.

"He's on it, but I'll tell you, Horatio, he didn't sound happy."

Horatio gunned the engine and the headed back for the lab. As they drove, Ryan took a glance at his boss's sunglass hidden eyes.

"Why does Eric tooth, Horatio? It got him into a mess of trouble before. I thought he was supposed to see a shrink about this?" Ryan knew he was being blunt, and he didn't care. He was tired of the one being snapped at. All he wanted was answers. Maybe it wouldn't make it stop, but answers would help, a little.

"Eric was very, very close to Speedle, the man you replaced, Mr. Wolfe. And when I did not consult him on the replacement it made him bitter. Its not his biased feelings towards you that makes him do what he does, it's his lack of the ability to vent them. Emotions, of any kind, can make us doing strange, sometimes unthinkable things."

"You don't think he does it just because he's impulsive?"

"Oh that has plenty to do with it, but it's not the true reason behind it. If it was, he would have gotten it under control by now. Despite how Eric acts and what he does or says, he loves his job, and you'd have to kill him to make him give it up."

"Do you think he had something to do with this?" Ryan questioned, forcing Horatio to look into his eyes.

The stare that was returned to Ryan gave him a shiver. He couldn't make up his mind on if the stare was angry, or if Horatio was wondering how far Ryan would push him for answers.

"If he has, the evidence will tell us."

_Damnit _Ryan cursed in his mind, resigning himself to the fact that he'd never get a straight answer out of Horatio, who was just too defensive of his longtime friend.

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Eric decided to go alone on the favor Ryan had asked of him. Or what Horatio had asked through Ryan. It disturbed the CSI that his boss was giving him orders through the rookie of the team. The distancing didn't make Eric feel comfortable at all.

He checked his watch. It was 2 PM. That meant the club's owners and workers were getting ready for tonight. It didn't open until six, so that meant civilians wouldn't be around, probably. Of course, the party might not even show up, on account of what had happened last night.

Eric parked his Hummer, a slightly satisfied look on his face. There were cars here, lined up neatly behind the building. Making sure he had his badge, phone, and gun on him, he headed into the club building.

It was a starkly different scene than the one the night before. Cleaning crews were scuttling around, white lights were illuminating the dance floor, but the only thing Eric was interested in was the man behind the bar who was counting last night's cash.

The man eyed him warily as he approached. He looked more like a bouncer, in Eric's opinion. Tattooed, scarred, and plenty enough mean look in his eye to tell Eric he wasn't afraid to fight.

"What is it you want?" he growled roughly.

"I'm with Miami Dade PD," Eric stated calmly. "I'd like to know who you are and what you're doing with the cash."

The man rolled his eyes. "This is about that shooting this morning isn't it?" he asked in a bored voice.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact it is, now, answer the question." Eric's patience, well, he didn't have any left after Jade's antics all day.

"Wait one second," the man muttered, setting the cash he was counting down. He disappeared into a back room behind the bar, but came out within a minute. In tow was someone who appeared similar in build, stature, and class, as their victim.

"My name is Mr. Corman; I'm the owner and manager of the club. Is there something I can do for you?" He introduced himself and held out his hand for Eric to shake, which the CSI declined.

"How much do you know about the shooting that took place this morning?" Eric asked as the bouncer left.

"Yes, I heard about that. Mr. Riers was a former customer of mine. We weren't exactly friends, but I was sorry to hear he'd been killed. Apparently his wife is at the center of the investigation."

Eric tilted his head, feeling very much like Horatio at this point. How would he know that? Did it mean anything? He filed it away and continued with his questioning.

"Would anybody have wished Mr. Riers harm? Anybody at the club? I'm assuming since you manage it, you would know who came here."

"I knew Mr. Riers and his wife through other business transactions, and as I said, I wasn't really friends with him, but I wouldn't want him dead. I had nothing to do with his murder."

Eric was only half listening to him. He was noticing Mr. Corman rubbing his hands vigorously on a towel, wiping off a black substance. Eric had no kit with him, so he couldn't test to see what it was, but something in his gut told him it was gunshot residue.

"Would you mind coming with me, Mr. Corman?" he asked, motioning towards the door.

"Why, what's the problem?" the man asked, his tone indignant rather than nervous. The bouncer had also come creeping back, who Eric noticed was guarding the door.

"The substance on your hands, what is it?"

"Graphite." The man answered smoothly. "I recently had the locks on my second business changed."

"And you did them yourself, did you, come on, we're going for a ride."

Eric seized the man by his upper arm and started to lead him out, but he didn't expect the man to wrench out of his grip.

"I'll go nowhere. I've done nothing wrong!" the man insisted.

Eric's eyes bore into his with a steely glare. "Then you won't mind coming with me so we can for sure rule you out." he growled. He re-tightened his grip onto the man's arm.

Corman, for the second time, wriggled out of his grip. His eyes darted to the bouncer, who Eric noticed had shifted. The CSI drew his weapon which made the entire room freeze.

"You will go with me, and you'll call him off before he attempts to assault an officer, which I can have you also arrested for, as you gave the order," Eric snarled.

"It wouldn't be an attempt," the bouncer growled. "I'm not afraid of your shiny black gun."

Eric leveled it at him. "Brawn meets bullet, don't try it," he hissed. "Now, Mr. Corman, if you will," Eric jerked his head to the door. "Let's go," he growled, shoving his way past the bouncer and dragging Mr. Corman along for the ride.


	7. Denial and Acceptance

**_Ok, final chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Making that loud and clear... And because I forgot the disclaimer, I'll say it here..._**

**_I don't own CSI: Miami, or any of its characters, however, Jade, Riers, Corman, and various other made-ups are mine, along with the plot. _**

"Who's this you brought in, Eric?" Horatio asked as he met with his CSI outside the interrogation room.

"Mr. Corman. Manager of the club I was at last night. I noticed a black substance on his hands, I wanted to know if it was gunshot residue, but I didn't have a kit. To say the least, it took convincing for him to come with me."

"Would this be Mr. Corman of Corman Jewelers?" Horatio asked, his tone soft, head tilted to the side, gazing towards the suspect.

"I'm not sure. He said he had past dealings with Mr. Riers and Jade if that means anything."

"It does, it means quite a lot. Good work, Eric."

Horatio left and went into the interrogation room. Eric stood watching from the outside when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Could I have a word, Delko?"

Stetler. Eric inwardly cringed.

Eric turned to face the notorious agent from the IAB, and in Eric's opinion, the devil himself.

"Yeah, you can have a word, you can have three; get off me," Eric growled. He removed Stetler's fingers from his shoulders and continued to watch as Horatio paced in the room while he continued to question Mr. Corman.

"I think you owe me a chat, Delko. After what's happened?" Stetler's voice felt like a razor blade digging inside Eric's ears.

"I don't owe you a thing, Stetler." Eric started to walk away but Stetler continued to follow him.

"You don't have Duquesne to protect you, or Horatio this time, so, I think you _will_ come with me, Delko. You can make this easy, or you can make this hard. Make this easy, and it'll be pain free, make this hard, and we'll have to see what happens."

"Are you threatening me, Stetler?" Eric growled.

"All I'm asking is for five minutes of your time," Stetler said, narrowing his eyes. "Let's go."

Eric found himself sitting in Stetler's office, on the side of the table he'd already seen in a similar issue; when his badge had been stolen. Stolen while he was toothing. Well, he'd dropped it, but someone else had gone and taken it afterwards.

"Why don't you tell me exactly what happened last night after you left work." Stetler started.

Eric paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He needed this to come out right, but there was no way he could afford lying. Horatio would protect him, so long as he went by protocol. If he failed in that, he was fair game for Stetler.

"I went home to my apartment, showered, changed, and got ready to go out for the night. When I left my place, it was around eleven."

"Why so late?" Stetler quipped.

"Because I didn't get off work until nine thirty. I had to process evidence and make sure it was put back properly."

"I see. Continue," Just that tone made Eric furious, but he forced himself to calm down.

"I left my apartment and went to five clubs that night. I stayed for about an hour at each one, except the last. The last being where I met Mrs. Riers."

"And what were you doing with her?"

Eric cursed Stetler to the deepest pits of hell. The man was making him humiliate himself. Having to deal with him was bad enough, now rub his nose into the mess he'd made? It made him feel lower than a whipped dog.

"We danced together for a while, but then we left the club at about four thirty. We didn't go far, just to the Mustang in the parking lot. We had sex, but afterwards, I saw her wedding band, upon which time, I dressed, and left her in the car. By the time I got back home, it was five fifteen. I answered the call out at seven AM."

Stetler listened intently to everything Eric stated, his eyes boring into the Cuban's.

"Had you been drinking during the course of the evening, Delko?"

"Why should that matter? I recalled everything in detail."

"Because, if you had, I could write off your incompetence due to the fact you were intoxicated. As it is, this doesn't look good for you."

"I didn't see anything when I left!" Eric cried, standing up. "When I left, I walked straight to the Hummer and drove off; I didn't look back. Jade was the last one to see the victim alive, not me!"

"You've talked to her since then?" Stetler questioned, his tone dripping with relish of a predator about to sink its teeth into prey.

"Yes. Yes I have. But that's not the point, Stetler. I had absolutely no motive to kill Mr. Riers. None."

"Except for the fact that maybe he caught you with his wife? Maybe you two had a fight, and you shot him in defense?"

Eric was half a breath away of actually committing a murder. The murder of Rick Stetler. Nobody would miss him. In fact, Eric was quite sure the entire lab would be dancing on his grave.

"I had never seen, nor had any conflict with the victim. Not once. When I left, Jade was alone. Besides, there is no evidence to suggest that I came anywhere close to Mr. Riers."

"The meeting is over, Stetler," Eric growled, going for the door, but Stetler stopped him.

"I don't think so," he hissed, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I do think so. Now, get off me." Eric walked out the door, moving determinedly away.

"Get back here, Delko!" Stetler yelled to him as Eric made his way down the hall.

Eric turned back around, slowly, and approached Stetler. "Come near me again, I dare you to. I just dare you, Stetler. Pry into my personal life again, and you'll get what you get." Eric's tone was full of malice that he wasn't sure was coming from, but he liked the power all the same.

"It's not personal when it involves murder," Stetler whispered, his tone low but suave.

"But it didn't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. Because, unlike you, I spend my time trying to improve things. While you, on the other hand, live only to make people miserable and angry. If I feel you breathing down my neck again, you'll get what you get. Remember that," Eric growled before he turned on his heel and stalked away.

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"I heard you were at my store earlier in the day. Pity I couldn't have talked to you there, then maybe we wouldn't be going through this mess." Mr. Corman's words were smooth and cool. His tone didn't give the essence of fear, but Horatio saw into the depths of his eyes. And they held fear. Fear of what, H was determined to find out.

"Yes, we talked to your employee, Jason Shod. He informed us you have quite the temper, Mr. Corman," Horatio said, keeping his voice light, but with just enough color in it to be irritating.

"Really? Why do you think he'd say that?"

"According to him, you had a conflict with my victim over a bracelet he'd purchased." Horatio slid a photo of the bracelet across the table, upon which Mr. Corman inspected it.

"Yes, Mr. Riers and I had disagreements over it. He said I'd cheated him of his money, but he was the one with the temper, not me. Besides, this was over a year ago." Mr. Corman tossed the picture back at Horatio and folded his hands to his lap.

Just then, Horatio's phone rang. Horatio smiled when he saw the caller ID. "Excuse me for one moment," he said, before he walked out of the room and stood just outside the door.

"What did you get for me, Mr. Wolfe?" he asked quickly.

"Ok, I went back to the store like you said. Shod was there, and he told me that he had defiantly seen Jade and Corman together. He said it appeared like they were talking about the price of the bracelet. 'I'll pay five thousand, and not a penny more' he heard Jade say. Jason told me that the bracelet they were looking at was a much more valuable version of what was actually purchased."

"Ok, thank you Mr. Wolfe."

"Anything else, H?"

"Yeah, find Jason and bring him to the station. If we can't hold Corman, then I don't want him to catch Jason on his own."

"You think he'd try something?" Ryan asked quietly.

"Maybe, maybe not, but let's be safe, ok?"

"You got it." Ryan hung up, and Horatio walked back into the room.

"Well, well, well, Mr. Corman. I just got word that you were seen discussing the price of a bracelet with Jade Riers. But it was a much more valuable piece than the one that was actually purchased. Do you want to tell me why?"

Mr. Corman gained a flustered look. "I wanted more money for the better quality bracelet, but she refused to pay more. It was her husband's money, she said, and she said he had a budget to keep. So, when the purchase was made, I exchanged the better stones for lesser quality. It's not illegal."

"No, but murder for higher is," Horatio hissed. "You see, here's what I think happened. I think you and Jade were not discussing the stones, but how much she was willing to pay for her husband's murder. Am I right?" Horatio whispered.

Just then Eric came into the room, his kit in hand. He set it on the table, popped it open, removed a swab, and a small spray bottle full of clear fluid. Without a word, he started to rub the swab against the powder on Corman's hands.

"Wait, what is he doing?" the suspect asked, his voice rising in pitch, and definite nervousness.

"Testing your hands for GSR. Gun shot residue," Eric stated. He lifted the swab up and sprayed one pump of the clear fluid onto the cotton fibers. When it almost instantly changed its color, Horatio smirked.

"Positive for GSR, Mr. Corman. So, are you going to tell me where the gun is that shot Mr. Riers, or am I going to have to tear your home and businesses apart to find it?"

When Mr. Corman didn't answer, Horatio changed tactics.

"Did Jade place the murder for higher, or did you shoot him because of your temper?" Horatio asked, staring deep into the man's eyes. "Make it better for yourself, give her up, and maybe you won't get life."

"I'm not saying another word. I want my lawyer." A slightly satisfied, and slightly nervous expression settled onto his face as Horatio and Eric headed out of the room.

"Ok, so we know that Corman is our shooter, but what about Jade? Can we pin this on her?" Eric asked quickly.

"A jury wouldn't believe his testimony. The prosecution would discredit him, even if they weren't trying to." Horatio's eyes were chips of flint.

"So, you're telling me, she walks?"

"We don't have enough to secure a warrant of the premises to search for the weapon. And her defense can always pass off the fact they were discussing money because of the jewels. The only witness said that is exactly what they were dealing with at the time."

"So, she walks."

"Yes, Eric. She walks."

"Is there anything we can do?" Eric pleaded. "Something, can we get her for anything?" the desperation in his voice made Horatio sick inside. Sick that he could do nothing but stand and watch as a killer got away with murder.

"I'm sorry, Eric."

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By the time what evidence they had was processed, and all the papers were filed it was getting close to evening. Eric walked outside of the building, longing for fresh air to try and clear his head. Ever since the grim conclusion of the case, he hadn't been able to calm down.

He sat on the steps of the building, but when a brilliant red Mustang pulled up, top down, he stood up. Music was coming from its speakers, loud and clear. Nelly Furtado's "Maneater."

Eric approached Jade who hadn't stepped out of the car. She turned the music down a little bit, but Eric could hear it clearly still as he came closer.

"Remember this?" she asked, titling her head towards the speakers. Eric felt his stomach twist around. Yes, of course he remembered. This was the song he and Jade had been dancing to last night.

"What do you want, Jade?" Eric asked, his tone weary, but still cold.

"Just to let you know, I'll still be around." she whispered. But her tone was filled with desire. She tossed her mane of flaming red hair behind her shoulders and gave him a smirk.

"Why would I care? You killed your husband, do I look like the kind of man who deals with people like you?"

"You've got no proof of that. So don't go there, Eric." But her tone was playful, almost. Just a hint of seriousness, just enough to make her voice dark.

"Still, I figured I'd let you know," she purred.

"Why's that?"

"Because you'll come back to me," she laughed. "You always have, and you always will." She winked at him, and then cranked the music back up. "See you later, Eric." she whispered before she revved the engine and drove off. He watched her until she'd rounded the corner and sped away.

"Won't be seeing you," he muttered as he turned around.

"She seems attached to you, Eric. Be careful, from everything we've learned, if any girl's a maneater, she is."

Ryan met him on the step and looked towards him. Eric's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he glared fiercely at the youngest member of the team.

"Get this through your head, Wolfe. I made mistakes, but I didn't do it on purpose. I screwed around, yeah, haven't we all? If I had any idea, do you think I would have even looked at her?"

Ryan wasn't intimidated. In fact, Eric's tone made him angry.

"You just won't learn to control yourself, will you! I thought for sure after that whole incident with your badge, you'd of gotten it through _your _head. Why don't you do yourself a favor. Back the hell off of me and start paying attention to your job, Delko. Then maybe, screw ups like this won't happen!"

"Are you saying it's my fault she got away with it!" Eric's voice had risen, and so had Ryan's.

"I'm saying you have the badge that says you're a CSI. Act like one!"

The last thread that was tying together Eric's self control snapped. Between Jade, Stetler, and their real killer getting away with it, and now, Ryan attacking him, he couldn't take it any more.

He launched himself at the CSI and grabbed his shirt collar. With a shout and a yell, they both went down the stone steps, grabbing and wrestling with each other as they did. They rolled off the steps and were still tearing at each other when they came to a halt on the flat concrete.

Fists were flying, along with feet, knees, and elbows; any part of their bodies that could be used as weapons. When Eric's fist came flying at Ryan's face, Wolfe dodged but when the arm didn't withdraw, his teeth reached out and bit as hard as he could. Eric cried out and backhanded Ryan with his free arm, but with the release of the restriction, Ryan was able to throw Eric off.

"BOYS!"

The shout made them both stand up and spin around. Alexx and Horatio stood on the steps. Murder lay within Alexx's eyes, and Horatio was as angry as Ryan had ever seen him.

"What in the hell do you think you two are doing!" Alexx demanded, storming up to them, Horatio barely on her heels.

Neither one could answer as they heaved for breath. Ryan was about to speak, but Alexx cut him off.

"If I ever, and I mean, _ever_ see you two acting like that again, you'll both be on my tables, got me?" Alexx demanded. "I don't care what the hell you were fighting about, you're both grown, or should be, you need to act like it! This pissing contest between you two is ridiculous, it's time to grow up!"

With that, she stormed off, leaving both Eric and Ryan standing there about five feet apart, ashamed, but still angry.

The uncomfortable silence was finally broken by Horatio.

"Mr. Wolfe, go to your Hummer and wait there until I come to you. Eric, you stay put."

"Sorry, I have work in the lab to do," Ryan growled as he turned away from Horatio.

"Not anymore you don't. Stetler's in their prowling around, and with the evidence you two have left on each other, he'll be sure to swarm in to feed, and I can't have that. Not with everything that's already happened." His eyes narrowed dangerously at Eric.

"What are you saying, I'm fired?" Ryan asked, for the first time, his tone shaky.

"I'm saying, go and wait in your Hummer until I come to you." Horatio's tone was softer now.

Ryan stalked away, and Horatio turned to face Eric. Eric was a several inches taller than Horatio, but the stare his boss gave him made Eric want to cringe.

"Eric. You're a good CSI, and I do honestly believe that you want to do your job right, but that means controlling yourself! Controlling yourself in every aspect of your life! I don't care how angry you are, never, ever make threats at IAB, and what gives you the right to attack a colleague?"

"He provoked me." Eric growled.

"I don't care if he did. Don't sink that low. And as far as IAB goes, I just had to go and do a week's worth of damage control to make sure Stetler didn't try and have you fired from the lab."

The reality of what Horatio had just said didn't even have time to sink in before he continued, his voice lower, and his tone even more serious, if that was possible.

"We all have emotions, we all have ways of coping, but you can't let them interfere with work. You cannot. I don't want to take away your badge, Eric. I don't. So please, don't make me. If anything like this happens again, I'm going to have no choice."

"I've seen you threaten Stetler, and I've seen you shoot down criminals without mercy, and I've seen you threaten suspects. What gives you the right to do the same?" Eric hissed.

"I've paid my penance for what I've done, Eric." Horatio said quietly. "And I'm still paying. Don't think Stetler doesn't haunt me. Don't think things I've done don't stalk me. I'm still paying for things I've done. I just don't want you to have to pay the way I'm paying."

"How are you paying, Horatio? Tell me that. How are you paying for what you've done?" Eric demanded.

"With things that will never be replaced."

Horatio sighed, dropped his gaze, but then lifted it back up. "Go home, Eric. Go home and stay there. I expect you back at work tomorrow morning, and I expect it to be like nothing has happened. I don't care if that's not how you feel, and I don't care if that's not reality, but I will do anything to keep this lab from going down. So, go home, clear your head, and be ready to work tomorrow."

With Horatio's dismissal, Eric turned on his heel and stalked away towards his Hummer. He threw himself into the driver's seat, gunned the engine, and headed for home, like he was supposed to. Like he had been told to.

When he reached his apartment, he slammed the door behind him. Somehow, it didn't relieve the anger. He stood still for a long time in his living room, trying to decide how to release the pent up energy he felt coursing through him. His instinct was to head back out and throw himself into the arms of the Miami night life. But that's not what he needed. Nor what he should do.

He locked the door and then went into the kitchen. Digging into his pantry, he found his liquor and a glass. Pouring himself a measurable amount, he began to swig at it. He didn't care that it burned. The burning felt good. The pain felt normal. It made the ceaseless whirlwind in his mind shut down.

He continued drinking long after night had fallen. He moved from room to room, but each time he moved, it was with less and less ease. The liquor sloshed inside its bottle as he poured himself yet another glass while he stumbled into his bedroom.

He was shuffling to his bed as he swallowed the contents of the glass. He was dizzy, feeling sick, and miserable inside. The burning was wearing him down now, not killing the pain. He dropped the glass onto the floor and the bottle onto the nightstand. It almost spilled because of the clumsy way he set it, but he didn't care. He collapsed onto his bed and lay still, wishing there was some way to make the aching in his heart go away.

Barely able to move because of how drunk he was, Eric managed to get himself under the blankets, and then he ceased to move. Motion made his head spin. But as he stopped moving, he again felt those helpless, degrading, miserable sensations squeeze his heart.

He didn't even realize he was crying until his pillow was soaked. But he didn't try to stop. He let his tears fall freely and without ceasing. It was over. He'd let go, broke down, and finally cried. Cried for the craziness of this day, cried for his stupidity, and cried just for the sheer relief it brought.

Over and over in his head, he listed off things that had been bothering him, from Speed's death, to his replacement, to the sheer frustrations of his life, to everything that had happened today and last night. He let it all run through his mind, and then through his eyes in the form of wet, salty tears.

After a while, his tears stopped. He didn't know how long it had taken, but long enough for the full moon to rise and pour out silver moonlight onto his bed. And it wasn't because he'd gotten a grip on himself. It wasn't because the pain had stopped. But he had accepted it. Finally. After spending so much time denying it, he accepted the pain, and released it.

His eyes remained open and he watched the sky remained such a deep, dark black. After what seemed an eternity of nothingness, he let himself fall into that dark blackness. That dark abyss that promised him the relief of sleep.

**_I didn't get near the reviews I wanted on this story, but I'm not going to complain, because I didn't figure that I would anyways. And the reviews I did get were good ones, so I'm happy and grateful for that. I appriceate all of those who have read, reviewed, and taken the time to share their thoughts with me. It helped to shape a plot that I was still a little shaky on._**

**_That being said, I will start doing a little bit of an explination that I have not revealed to anybody. (No, not even to you, Addie, lol)_**

**_Another story is coming out soon, from Ryan's POV titled "Take it Easy", and will start from where this story left him off. I'm not exactly sure how long that story will be, or how long it will take, but I have plans for yet another tale after that one, and it will draw with it a connection to this story, my previous(Bring Me to Life), and "Take It Easy" And it will be a connection like nothing anybody is expecting. Trust me, you won't see what me and my plot bunnies have coming. _**

**_Having revealed that to you all, I would strongly suggest you read Bring Me to Life. And, I'm assuming if you're reading this, you've read Maneater. I'm not going to shamelessly beg for reviews (even though I'd like to) because that's not the point. But when I come out with my fourth story, I don't want you to be totally confused. And if you havn't read the previous three(third not being written yet), you will be completely lost._**

**_I hope that made sense to you, and if it didn't, please, feel free to ask me questions in reviews, or PM. I'll try to have Take it Easy's first chapter up by the end of tonight, but I make no promises. _**

**_Well, thanks for coming, reading, and hopefully reviewing. And if not, oh well. But I hope you'll stay in tune! Cya 'round,_**

**_Rebellwithoutacause_**


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